The basic way of treating someone with respect is to ensure that their interest and welfare is at the forefront of all dealings and interactions with them. I have had a chance of working with children and young people with their families as a trainee teacher. I ensured that I understood what children wanted by asking their opinions and also giving them choices whenever possible. In communicating with the children and their families, I ensured I used their preferred names and gave them opportunities to raise issues of concern and ask questions. I gave the families a chance to give input on the child’s development plans and how well they felt the child’s welfare could be improved.
Assignment 013- Understand Partnership Working in Services for Children and Young People Task A Why is it important for children and young people that you work in partnership with the following people/groups? Parents, carers and guardians This partnership is very important because parents or carers need to trust the nursery and staff that work there. They will expect the best quality of care for their child. Partnering well with the parent or carer of the child will increase good communication including sharing important information regarding the child needs, wants and development. Building trust with parents or carers will result in them knowing that the nursery is a very good place for their child as it offers a great amount of help and support, which is especially important for new parents or carers.
Parenting courses available include: Freedom Programme, Triple P, Speak Easy, Babyology, Mellow Parenting and Parenting Workshops. Outreach and family support is available to families requesting the service both in the home and at the Centre. Parents and Early Life Support Officers engage in a mutual exploration of goals and outcomes with a solution focussed approach. The Supporting Families Team with an emphasis on delivering intervention services work with families where additional support has been identified as being beneficial to those families. Services tend to be bespoke, meeting the individual family need.
I will get to know each child, establish relationships with parents, and support their strengths as well as their needs. I will express my own emotions and respond to the children’s emotions, valuing their feelings and helping them express what they are feeling. But above all, I will make sure that every child feels secure in my room and are comfortable coming to me as their teacher. I provide a positive relationship with the child through daily routines and interactions. I feel this gives the children and parents a sense of trust.
Good relationships, clear communication and common goals between parents and practitioners are crucial to the successful delivery of an effective service. Every major legislative or policy document contains reference to ‘partnership’ and the importance of ensuring that parents are informed about and involved in strategies and approaches to the care and education of their child. Partnership with parents is based on the belief that good working relationship, clear and mutual communication and common goals between parents and professionals are crucial to the successful delivery of effective services to children. MacLeod-Brudnell (2004, p.412). Partnership with parents should be a key aspect of provision.
Children depend on adults (who also are as healthy as possible) to make healthy choices for them and to teach them to make healthy choices for themselves. Teaching: Children benefit most when their teachers have high levels of formal education and specialized early childhood professional preparation. Families: Young children’s learning and development are integrally connected to their families. Consequently, to support and promote children’s optimal learning and development, programs need to recognize the primacy of children’s families, establish relationships with families based on mutual trust and respect, support and involve families in their children’s educational growth, and invite families to fully participate in the program. Community: As part of the fabric of children’s communities, an effective program establishes and maintains reciprocal relationships with agencies and institutions that can support it in achieving its goals for the curriculum, health promotion, children’s transitions, inclusion, and diversity.
Practitioners need to praise children and encourage them to succeed in their learning and give them the support they need. Practitioners need to build positive relationship with not only their key children and other children in their setting but also with the children’s parents this gives them a better chance of giving children more support at home. See appendix 1. At the setting parents can get involved and this will benefit planning for the child as parents know their children better than anyone and they will know their likes and dislikes and will be able to help them with their development. See appendix 2 .
Effective communication is also important so that information given is clear, concise, accurate, and informative. This decreases the possibility of errors being made. It is important to work as a team with other members of the setting, so that the child is getting the support the need and so that ever one is working to achieve the same results and goals. Within my own we use a range of methods to communicate with parents such as, monthly newsletters, class teachers hand-outs/diary informing parents what their child is doing each term, letters and posters. Having effective communication with the parents is important so that they know how their child is doing and what is happening at the nursery.
Now I know that understanding the stages of child development helps parents and teachers know what to expect and how to support the child during growth and development. I am inspired by so many different programs offered to support children and their families by accessing them to quality health care, good nutrition, and education. Also the availability of programs to protect children and their families from harm, abuse and discrimination and to help them reach their full potential. It is especially comforting to know that educators are stepping up to the plate to ensure that this
It makes them feel like you understand them better. I think this is great because children should always feel comfortable in the classroom to share anything with you. Home visits really help you see the children in a whole different view and makes you understand them, not only as a student better, but as a person. I would recommend doing home visits with children, as long as safety is not an issue, to any future teacher or teacher in the classroom